Paper Projects Vision for Solar Photovoltaics (PV) in India and Identifies Solar PV as Area with Tremendous Potential

BANGALORE, India – April 9, 2009 – SEMI India today announced an outline and vision for the Indian solar market, including growth opportunities and potential socio-economic development benefits, the current market situation and public policy needs. The SEMI India white paper entitled, “The Solar PV Landscape in India – An Industry Perspective,” suggests that India can play a leading role in the global photovoltaic (PV) and solar industry. The paper was developed by the SEMI India PV Advisory Committee, represented by industry leaders from all sectors of the solar PV supply chain. The report was released by Mr. K. Subramanya, CEO, Tata BP Solar at a special briefing for the media.

The paper highlights numerous drivers for PV in India, including the country’s rising energy needs, persistent energy deficit situation, and the country’s overdependence on fossil fuels for energy generation. India is already home to 9 photovoltaic cell manufacturers and nearly 20 module manufacturers, and the country benefits from an abundant endowment of solar radiation, averaging 300 sunny days per year. Effective public policies in support of PV manufacturing and wider adoption could substantially reduce India’s dependence on fossil fuels for power generation, and produce enormous socio-economic benefits.

The paper presents ‘the voice of the Indian PV industry,’ and attempts to build consensus among industry players and evolve a strong collaborative model that could catalyze the growth of the PV industry.

“This is the first paper of its kind, presenting the Industry view of the transformational potential of PV in India, highlighting challenges and making a call for action,” said Mr. K. Subramanya, CEO, Tata BP Solar. “A collaborative effort between the Government, industry, academia and other stakeholders can result in the creation and execution of a shared vision for PV, with benefits across multiple dimensions. If the recommendations are pursued with vigor, India, with its combination of market, industrial and research infrastructure and advantageous geographical location, could well write the future and lead the world in solar PV.

“I am pleased that SEMI PV Group has considered India to be an important growing region,” said Dr. Madhusudan Atre, president, Applied Materials India. “The first of the position papers from SEMI India PV presents the industry perspective on the challenges, opportunities and benefits of solar PV in India. Various focus areas - in the areas of productivity, standards, cost, total systems solutions, environment health and safety, IP, workforce development, etc - need to be addressed. It is an initial step in the direction of creating a robust PV ecosystem and is a call for collaborative participation from industry, government, academia and other stakeholders to grow the Indian PV industry, and address the country's present and future energy needs."

”There is a great untapped potential for off grid PV technology deployment in India’s many rural areas, based on real needs for lighting and electrification, powering irrigation pumps, providing backup power for the growing network of cell towers, as well as other urban applications. By making available this off-grid source of power, many of the 450 million people in India who now rely on kerosene and other fuels to light their homes could enjoy a significantly higher quality of life,” said Sathya Prasad, president, SEMI India. “Effective public policies in support of PV manufacturing and adoption could substantially reduce India’s dependence on fossil fuels for power generation, while producing enormous socio-economic benefits like the creation of tens of thousands of jobs across the entire supply chain, from R&D and manufacturing to installation and maintenance.”

Key challenges facing the growth and development of PV in India as identified in the paper:

The need for closer industry-government co-operation

The need for common industry standards

The need for focused, collaborative and goals-driven R& D for the technology to achieve scale and for India to attain technology leadership

The need for financing infrastructure, models and arrangements - to spur the PV industry and consumption of PV products

The need for investment in training and development of human resources – to drive industry growth and PV adoption

The need for intra-industry cooperation in expanding the PV supply chain, in technical information sharing through conferences and workshops, in collaborating with BOS manufacturers and in gathering and publishing accurate market data, trends and projections

The need to build consumer awareness – about the technology, its economics and usage

To address these challenges, the paper offers recommendations and a call for action including

The creation of a common Government-industry vision to establish India as a PV world leader

Development of effective financing infrastructure and models that will motivate large-scale PV adoption and investments in the PV industry

Expanding the deployment of PV in off-grid applications

Expanding grid-connected PV generation on a large scale.

For more information or to receive a copy of the white paper, please visit www.pvgroup.org.

About SEMI PV Group

The SEMI PV Group is a special interest group dedicated to serving the photovoltaic/solar manufacturing supply chain. SEMI is the global industry association serving the manufacturing supply chains for the microelectronic, display and photovoltaic industries. Our member companies are the engine of the future, enabling smarter, faster and more economical products that improve our lives. For more information, please visit www.pvgroup.org.

About SEMI

SEMI is the global industry association serving the manufacturing supply chains for the microelectronic, display and photovoltaic industries. SEMI member companies are the engine of the future, enabling smarter, faster and more economical products that improve our lives. Since 1970, SEMI has been committed to helping members grow more profitably, create new markets and meet common industry challenges. SEMI maintains offices in Austin, Bangalore, Beijing, Brussels, Hsinchu, Moscow, San Jose, Seoul, Shanghai, Singapore, Tokyo, and Washington, D.C. For more information, visit www.semi.org.